Roseville Man Goes Down To Wire in SCRABBLE Championship

After 30 of 31 rounds of competition, Jim Kramer of Roseville found himself last week still in the hunt for the National SCRABBLE Championship in Dallas, Tex.

“It got pretty exciting,” said Kramer, a 52-year-old proofreader who works for Merrill Corp.  He was in second place in the final round and one of four people who had a chance to claim the SCRABBLE crown.

“It was the most exciting finish in a national,” Kramer added. The tournament was held from Saturday, Aug. 6 to Wednesday, Aug. 10.

Unfortunately, Kramer said the words didn’t line up well for him and he placed fourth. Still, not a bad showing for Kramer, who was one of about 100 players in the top SCRABBLE division.

2010 champion Nigel Richards of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia successfully defended his title against other master players, claiming the $10,000 first prize courtesy of game manufacturer Hasbro.

Kramer was the 2006 National SCRABBLE champion and has played in multiple national and world championships, according to Katie Schulz, markerting and media director for the National SCRABBLE Association. “Jim has been playing tournament SCRABBLE since 1983.”

Kramer told Roseville Patch he plays in about 10 tournaments a year, most of them within the five-state area.  Through the years, he has also played in a few world championships including ones in Malaysia, India and England.

Asked what he likes about SCRABBLE, Kramer said, “ Just the variety of strategies. Every game is so different. There is always a new wrinkle.”